GANGTOK,: The Himalayan Cleanup (THC) campaign,
an annual event of Integrated Mountain Initiative (IMI) and Zero Waste Himalaya
(ZWH) kicked off on May 25 across the Indian Himalayan States with multiple
clean-ups taking place on the first day. The clean-up consists of a waste and
brand audit in which participants segregate the trash to understand what is in
the trash and the different types of plastic waste, and conduct an audit of the
top polluting brands, informs a press release.
THC is the biggest movement against
plastic pollution in the mountains. The
campaign brings together mountain people concerned about the plastic crisis in
the mountains, and to raise their voices against plastic pollution. The waste
audit informs waste managers for an improved waste management system. The
campaign centres around demanding plastic polluters to be responsible for their
plastic packaging and products and for stringent implementation of extended
producer responsibility in the mountains. The EPR rules currently apply to all
producers, importers and brand owners of plastics to meet certain targets by
ensuring that their plastic packaging waste is collected, segregated, and
transported to plastic waste processors.
Initiated in 2018, this is the 6th year
of THC and more than 40,000 volunteers from various organisations and
institutions have been part of the campaign so far.
In Sikkim, the clean-up led by Zero
Waste Himalaya along with Modern Senior Secondary School, Gangtok focused on
the Hurhuray Dara at Namnang, while many other schools also had similar
clean-ups in their own surroundings. The Swachh Bharat Mission and Education
department are collaborating officially for the campaign in Sikkim.
In Darjeeling, there were multiple clean-ups led by Zero Waste Himalaya with
partners DLR Prerna and other organisations such as Flostate, Mukh Band Kaam
Shuru, Assembly of God Church School, St Josephs’ College, West Point School,
Camelia School and others. In Ladakh, the campaign is being led by Little Green
World with participation of many schools.
The Himalayan Cleanup is taken forward
with the theme of reflecting on your waste footprint while getting one's hands
dirty and cleaning up an important site. The reflection enables participants to
switch to a sustainable lifestyle that reduces one's waste and the amount that
is sent to the landfill. The participants started the cleanup with a pledge to
take the movement in their lives and also demand for better products and
systems, the release mentions.
The campaign will continue till June 5
with more than 300 clean-ups being conducted by various groups across the
mountain States. The waste and brand audit data shall be compiled by IMI and
ZWH to name the top plastic polluters of the mountains and demand for extended
producer responsibility to be implemented in the mountains, the release adds.
